Castlevania: A Prelude to Sorrow
by Claen'tor Shat'kin'ara
Summary: A story about Maxim Kischine's line, set in 1998. Many references to Aria of Sorrow, later on, recounting events that were alluded to in Aria of Sorrow.


Disclaimer: I do not own Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. Do I look rich to you?

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Claen'tor: This one popped in my head as I beat the game with Maxim. I thought, what happens to his line down the road? So, I've decided to introduce Maxim Kischine V, great-great-great-grandson to the original Maxim Kischine, from now on known as Maxim Kischine the First. He's in our era, so there may be some references to Aria of Sorrow._

_Maxim the First: Hello all! I believe you said you would introduce me as your muse for this story, am I correct, Claen'tor? Juste says hello, by the way._

_Claen'tor: See for yourself. You're in my muses section right now. And how are Juste and Lydie these days?_

_Maxim I: Lydie is about six months pregnant with the heir of the Belmont line. And Juste is your atypical father to be, exceedingly happy about the fact..._

_Claen'tor: And your wife?_

_Maxim I: I didn't marry actually..._

_Claen'tor: What!_

_Maxim I: I had a girlfriend, but she died before we could marry. We did have a son, however. A little boy, by name Gerard. He's going to name his first son after me._

_Claen'tor: I see... Anyways, annndd... FIC!_

_Maxim I: -holding his ears- That was kind of... loud..._

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Chapter One: Beginnings 

Maxim Kischine V woke up on a beautiful Friday morning with the sun on his face, in the starkly furnished mansion that had been in his family as far back as he could remember. He got up and hoped that his father was already awake.

"Dad! Are you awake yet?" he yelled as he got up quickly and dressed for school, ready to tell Dad the news.

He heard his dad grumbling downstairs, eating breakfast. "I'm down here Maxim!"

Maxim jumped onto the banister, nimblely sliding down it and dismounting at the end with a flipping twist leap onto the sofa twelve feet away. "A perfect landing! Maxim Kischine the Fifth with a perfect score in the year 2000 X-games! What a jump!"

"What did I say about practicing your skills on the sofa, Maxim?" Euric Kischine, general of the undeath taskforce, a Romanian military branch dedicated to the defeat of any forces of the night, said from behind his newspaper. The taskforce was known around the world as the premier force for the defeat of the creatures of the night, right next to the Belmonts.

"You didn't say anything about practicing on the sofa. Just in the kitchen, and the dining room. Remember?" Maxim said, leaning bonelessly against the archway leading to the family dining area.

"What am I ever going to do with you?" Euric put his face in his newspaper at his son's flippancy, "Is there something you want to tell me? Whenever you lean against that archway, you ask me something, so spit it out already."

Maxim frowned. "Can't get anything past you anymore can I? I was going to wait until Mom went to work to ask you," indicating the beautiful auburn-haired woman sitting next to her husband, eating and reading a guide to daemon slaying. She looked up at the mention of herself. The black pantsuit she wore belied her strong build and free-spirited demeanor.

"And what do you want to ask your father that I cannot hear before I go?" she said in a dangerous tone, glaring at her son. This was the part Maxim hated. Anytime he wanted to go out with any girls, she wanted to know every detail intimately, if he had bedded the girl, what she was like in bed, what they did in bed, if he didn't bed her yet, when would he, what the girl looked like, right down to the measurements of the girl's bodice. A real pain for both Maxim and the girls he went out with.

"Nothing that you wouldn't interfere completely in, making me feel like a complete prude, Mother," Maxim said with a sigh, knowing what was coming next.

She put down the book she was perusing to look at Maxim knowingly. "Another date, Maxim? With whom? That Raquel girl? Janine?" she said, then paused before saying, "...or is it Delilah? I haven't met Delilah yet, Maxim."

Maxim went white. _How did she know about Delilah?_

"I heard you talking to her over the phone yesterday, boy. You can't hide anything from me. How is she in bed? I heard that part, too," she said, grin widening as she waggled her eyebrows. Now Euric was pretending to be reading his paper but it was obvious his attention was focused on Maxim now, with this new tidbit of info awakening his curiousity.

Maxim went completely red with embarrassment. "None of your business, Mother."

Of course that was just fuel on the flames. "Ohhh... so that wasn't just you being suggestive?" She got out of her chair and walked around the table to the utterly deflated Maxim, who was struggling to control the rush of blood to his face. "So... Is she nice and full in all the right places?" Ariel Kischine unconsiously jutted out her considerable assets as she sauntered the rest of the way to her son, who finally managed to stand straight enough to maintain some mediocum of dignity.

"Maybe later, you'll be late for work if you stall any longer, Mother," Maxim pointed at the clock, which read ten till seven. _Saved by the clock. Phew._

Ariel looked at the clock, and gasped. "I'm going to be late! Bye honey!" she yelled as she rushed out the door to her Aston Martin parked in the front, butler holding open the door, the engine running.

"Bye Ariel, see you after work!" Euric yelled from his newspaper, somewhat glad that she had left so Maxim could explain what his plans were tonight with some dignity. "Now then, you were going to tell me what your plans with Delilah are?"

Maxim took a seat next his father and started eating some eggs as he explained. "We were going to a party at Julius's place at eight. I can't be sure when we'd be back."

Euric nodded. "As long as you are back before your mother wakes in the morning. And please make sure next time that your mother isn't listening on the other side of a doorway before you talk about any escapades with your current flame. I'd like to avoid her getting like that again, because every time she casn't get something out of you, she tries to get details, which I usually don't have, out of me when I get home from the office."

"Alright, Dad. I'll see you tommorrow morning, then." Maxim got up to leave for school, when he heard Alisia come down the stairs with her teddy bear in tow.

"Brother? Are you still here?" her little voice called out timidly.

"I'm still here, little sister. What is it?" Maxim replied.

The third grader rushed down the stairs and hugged her elder sibling. "Have a nice day, brother. Will you say hi to Delli and Julius for me?"

"I sure will. I'm sure Delli will be glad to hear that. I think Julius has a gift for you at his house, I'll bring it over when I come home, 'kay?" Maxim said as he hugged his little sister back. Alisia had her mother's hair, but unlike her mother, she was very shy around most others, especially boys older than her. Delli was her pet name for Delilah, whom Maxim had actually managed to keep a secret from his mother for four months by saying he was going out with Janine. Janine had dumped him after meeting Ariel five months ago. Their meeting hadn't gone well.

Alisia brightened. "Oh yes, brother, thank you very much!" She jumped up and down happily, clapping her hands. Maxim laughed at his little sister's exuberance, then looked at the clock, which now read seven fifteen, time for Maxim to get to school.

"I got to go to school now, Alisia. Be nice to your maids today, okay?" Maxim asked his little sister as he made his way to the front door.

"I will, brother! They won't be mad at me today, I promise. Have a good day, big brother!" she replied as she waved goodbye to Maxim.

Maxim was almost out the door when he remembered. "And please do as they say so you can get to school on time... Father has to leave soon after me today," this was yelled behind him as he slipped through the door into the brilliant sunshine.

Maxim reveled in the sun's warmth as he jogged down the trail leading to his high school five kilometers away. "What a nice day to be a full-life..."

End chapter

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Maxim I: Well, he's likeable enough... And Ariel reminds me of my mother, always invading my privacy. What a pain she was. I remember one time she walked in on me and Alenya when I was that age, what a nightmare..._

_Claen'tor: Alenya?_

_Maxim I: My would-have-been wife. Now deceased. Gerard's mother. You understand me now?_

_Claen'tor: Erm... yeah. That was a little too much info in the mother/girlfriend incident, we don't want readers to find out things they shouldn't._

_Maxim I: -abashed- Oh, my mistake. I'll take care not to elaborate too much next time._

_Claen'tor: Yes, next time. When you meet Delilah, Julius as a teen, and a couple others. Until _Chapter 2: The Coming Threat,_ I bid my new readers adieu._


End file.
